You get what you pay for. This tattoo was free. It was supposed to be irises in a jagged frame. It has remained unfinished for 2.5 years and an aquaintance once told me it looks like a retarded cartoon rat and not an iris.

WELL last night we finally started in work on covering it up. This is just the beginning, LOTS more planned for this, but I'm totally in love with it already.
Oh yeah, and ignore the blood please.

In the future we will be adding two more irises, one on each side to wrap the sides of my leg. We also haven't decided how we're going to deal with the parts of the cover-up that are still visible (the box around the flower head), but I have complete faith in my artist that she'll figure out something damn cool.

Finally, my grandmother will have the proper memorial to her spirit and the impact that she made on my life.
RIP Grandma Win.

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

Eh, I don't want to deal with lazer removal. If I have to get my whole leg tattooed to get it covered then so be it! I would much rather have that (in fact I want that) than have to deal with lazer removal scars.

Mulysa Mayhem at Lightwave Tattoos is doing my tattoo. She is the one who did my wrists over a year ago.

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

I'll pass on the "in memory of" stuff . . . personally I find it tacky. I would much rather have a gorgeous piece on my leg that people can ask about if they want, or they can enjoy it as is. I want it to be a piece of artwork that means something to me, and not a headstone.

Unfortunately her best work isn't represented on that website IMHO. She has done some great stuff that remains unpublished, but you see anytime you go in to speak with her. She is very spiritual and puts that into her artwork. I love it.

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

My best friend, I call him my brother, is looking to get a cover up from a piece he just got a week ago.

He wanted a full sleeve, so he started with his lower arm (forearm) first. The problem is that he had been waiting so long, he put no thought into the artist, and did no checking into their experience or quality.

So the artist did the outline, and my brother hates it. He paid $250 for just the outline session, and now he's stuck with trying to find an artist to work around what is there and give him what he wants.

That's what happens when you walk into a tattoo shop and say "Who can do this?" and then just accept the first smuck who walks up to you with a needle and don't look at the person's portfolio.

I agree with not getting the ribbon though, it's very tacky and outdated. Being subtle and "mysterious" is great. I'm considering putting a barcode on my upper back, just below the neck. The numbers are going to be *022391*

Birth, initials & death. She has my other deceased nephews nickname on her leg. I have a ribbon heart with his nickname beside it. I have not decided yet what I want for Clint's memorial. Nothing seems to fit. I am planning on getting my duck & my cherries re-colored so I need to come up with something for him so I can get them all done at once.

There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.

Birth, initials & death. She has my other deceased nephews nickname on her leg. I have a ribbon heart with his nickname beside it. I have not decided yet what I want for Clint's memorial. Nothing seems to fit. I am planning on getting my duck & my cherries re-colored so I need to come up with something for him so I can get them all done at once.

Hey, that barcode setup is better than what I had, although mine is actually more meaningful with that date rather than the memorial period, so I guess mine fits.

Cherries? On women that's always in a "fascinating" place, so where are yours at?

Anthony, where does your brother live and how far is he willing to travel? I know of an awesome tattoo artist in San Francisco and one of the BEST who is someplace in Texas . . . can't remember where I'll have to check with my friend, but he works fast and his work is beautiful and definitely lasts.

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

On September 22 2006, SisMorphine wrote:Anthony, where does your brother live and how far is he willing to travel? I know of an awesome tattoo artist in San Francisco and one of the BEST who is someplace in Texas . . . can't remember where I'll have to check with my friend, but he works fast and his work is beautiful and definitely lasts.

He lives in Compton, I'm in Moreno Valley (both in California), so anywhere near there. I highly doubt that he'll travel to San Fran for the work though. I'll mention it to him when he gets here to work (I got the mofo a job here a couple months back and it actually worked out, haha. Not that he's a flake, just you know how personal referrals usually end up bad)

Do you have any info (websites?) for the people you are talking about?

In case it matters, the current outline is of skulls. That's what he wants, he just doesn't like the look that the guy gave it.

Well worth the trip as far as I'm concerned. I think I'm going to go out there in 2 years and will get tattooed by him (I only get one vacation a year, this one is CO, next year is *hopefully* Costa Rica, and then I'll do CA: LA, San Diego, and San Fran).

My ex now lives in LA, though he's not big into tattoos I know his neighbor is so I could have him ask where he gets his work done. There is also a guy who does body piercing, I think in Studio City, named Cliff Cadaver who is fully covered in tats and I believe he owns a tattoo shop also (or at least he did waaaaaaaaaay back when I was too young to get tattooed). Don't ask how I know him, long and drawn out story. I'll also ask my artist, Mulysa, if she recommends anyone out that way since she travels the country tattooing at least once a year. We'll find him a great artist, damnit!!

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France